IzuOcha Week 2018 - RandomRex6
by RandomRex6
Summary: Because these two are too adorable. Language in Chapter 6.
1. Stars or Dreams

Tanabata. Even in a world of superpowers, the entire nation of Japan can't help but be caught up in such a lovely old story, of the two lovers linked to each other through faith, and the will of those around them to see love prevail. Perhaps the uplifting nature of the story only caused it to become more prevalent in the Quirk-filled modern day.

Whatever the case, UA's Class 1-A was all too eager to enjoy the Tanabata on one of their precious days off, and had gathered together without much protesting. (Save from Bakugou, but that was to be expected.) And as to be expected, were eagerly indulging in a local festival as the summer triangle aligned above them.

"Everyone, please gather in an orderly fashion!" Iida proclaimed, "Wish-writing has begun!"

The most common aspect of Tanabata celebration always came back to the forefront, hanging the cards with their wishes written on them on the bamboo stalks.

"Remain orderly, everyone, please," the class rep requested, again in his stern, authoritarian tone.

"Please, just this once, let me get a girlfriend," Mineta prayed as he hung his up.

"Gonna need a lot more than the stars for that one," Jirou muttered, hanging hers. "What's your wish this year, Yaomomo?"

"Oh!" the vice-rep replied, startled, "I just hope the back half of the year is a bit less eventful. We've been through a lot lately."

"Right there with ya," Kaminari agreed, "I'm ready to relax a little."

Though fate may not have been on the side of those students in particular, there were a few who dreamt of something a bit less against the grain of reality.

"I wish to shine even more brightly than I have until now! My wish, it is _magnifique, non_?"

"You do you, Aoyama," Midoriya said with a shrug.

"What about you though, Deku?" Uraraka asked.

Midoriya, slightly taken aback by the inquiry quickly grew sheepish, "Oh, it's really not a big deal."

Ashido, overhearing this, decided to pounce, "Ooh, a secret wish? Scandal!"

"I'm serious, it's nothing to worry about!"

Iida was quick to lay down the law. "If Midoriya doesn't wish to tell us, he is under no obligation to tell us."

"Fine, but I'll find out," Ashido assured, skulking away.

Uraraka offered a comforting reassurance, "It's fine. Just curious is all."

"Promise not to spill?" he asked.

"My lips are sealed."

Midoriya looked out over his classmates, each smiling as they hung up their wish cards. "I just... want everyone else's wishes to come true. I've gotten a lot of things I wanted this year, so... I figure I can go without for a little while."

Uraraka nodded. "I think that's really sweet."

"Thanks. You don't have to tell me yours if you don't want to..." Midoriya offered.

Uraraka paused. "You know... I think I'll take you up on that. It's... kinda personal."

"Your parents?" the green-haired boy theorized, "Wishing for fortune's not unusual, but then again that doesn't seem like something you'd be serious about keeping private. Maybe about your career as a hero, but if that's the case, then..."

"You're rambling."

"Ah! Right!" Midoriya said, snapping out of his stupor. "And after I said you didn't have to say."

"It's okay. It's endearing."

A blush came to the green-haired boy's face, "Uhh... thanks."

The gravity manipulator began to backpedal, "Not that I mean like-! I mean, it's not, uh... I'm gonna write over there now, see ya in a bit!" She then ran off in the random direction she pointed.

Midoriya was left dumbfounded, as he often was when his friend behaved this way. _"I'll never understand girls,"_ he thought.

Uraraka, too, was left with her thoughts, as she found a different bamboo stalk, far from the others. _"Stupid, stupid! He probably thinks I'm weird. It's not like that. It... isn't..."_ As per usual, she found it hard to continue this line of thought, and simply focused on writing out her wish card, and placing it on the tree. "There. Done. No big. Now better get back before Iida throws a fit."

* * *

Uraraka approached the next day with a sizeable level of confidence. She considered herself an optimist, and felt like class would be either uneventful, or a chance to really strut her stuff. She was ready for whatever the world had to throw at her.

This perception was promptly shattered when she saw a number of classmates huddled around Hagakure's phone.

"Is that real?!" Sero asked.

"I think so," the invisible girl replied.

"It's always him," Mineta lamented, "why is it always him?"

Uraraka approached the group, her curiosity piqued. "What's going on?"

"Someone at UA found this crazy Tanabata card, and put it online," Ashido explained.

"Really, what's it-?" And as soon as Uraraka saw it, her heart sunk.

It was her handwriting, that much was clear. But it seemed in her haste to exit an awkward conversation, place the card unseen, and return to class, she made a mistake. A single missing kanji, which radically altered the meaning of the wish.

Her intended message was, _"I wish Midoriya would know how much we love him."_

The message as written was, _"I wish Midoriya would know how much I love him."_

Uraraka gulped. "So, d-does Deku know about this yet?"

"We dunno," Ashido replied, "but it's gonna be great either way, huh?"

"Yeah..." the brunette agreed, less than enthusiastically, returning to her desk.

 _"Stupid,_ _ **stupid,**_ _ **stupid!**_ _"_ she screamed internally, _"How could I make a mistake like that?! I just want him to realize how much he means to everyone. That's not weird, that's being a good friend. I don't like him like that, I don't like him like that at all!"_

It was at this point Midoriya walked in, wide-eyed, and seemingly in shock.

Ashido rushed over. "Hey, Midoriya-!"

"I saw," he muttered, cutting her off.

"Oh," she replied, "do you-"

"I have no idea."

"Kay," she said, clearly disappointed, but quickly returning to the gossip mill.

As Midoriya continued to be a million miles away, Uraraka pondered this. _"Makes sense he wouldn't know. It was a mistake after all. Besides,"_ she reasoned, _"everyone likes him, that's the point I was trying to make. He's just so sweet, and kind, and smart, strong, brave... I could go all day, really. And you know, he is pretty cute, so..."_

She stopped.

 _"Am I...? No! NO! I don't like him like that, he's just a friend! My friend who is a boy, who is not my boyfriend. And there is no way I meant to write that."_

Midoriya turned, and gave a small head tilt, "Something wrong?"

Uraraka was startled. "Huh?! Nothing's wrong! Everything's great! How's the secret admirer thing going?"

She resisted the urge to smack herself for asking that.

"Just... confused, really," Midoriya admitted, clearly embarrassed. "I wouldn't be surprised if it were a prank or something."

"Hey, come on," his rosy-cheeked friend said, "there's plenty to like about you, you know."

"Oh! Uh... thanks," he replied, returning to face the board.

Uraraka laid her head down on the desk. _"Awkward, but it's fine. It's true. There's a lot to like. Like I said, smart, strong, nice, cute. The whole package, really. Who wouldn't like him? I mean, I do..."_

A pause, as her thoughts sank in.

 _"Oh, crap. I do like him like that."_

And she couldn't help but wonder whether or not she wanted her wish to come true.


	2. Photograph

Aspiring heroes though they may be, Class 1-A still consisted primarily of teenagers living in the internet age. This left it unsurprising that many members of the group had rather prolific social media accounts.

Given the somewhat troubling state of the superhero community at the time, it was to be expected that there was an unspoken rule about not posting anything _too_ relevant to training or the school curriculum. However, showcasing their off-time was actually somewhat encouraged, letting the public at large know that these children were still living normal lives.

But none of that mattered to Uraraka at this moment, now that this image was on her dashboard.

Aoyama, at a newly opened french cafe, with Midoriya.

It had caught her off-guard. Midoriya was a social presence online, yes, but it was mostly sharing images and videos he had found. There were very few images of him. Aoyama, as to be expected, was the polar opposite, posting a new selfie near everyday. Uraraka had been convinced she had her finger properly on the pulse of the goings-on of her classmates. She had noticed that Aoyama and Midoriya had developed a rapport of late, but hadn't realized it had reached this degree.

Now, Midoriya making friends was normally not an issue. She was usually quite happy for him. But Aoyama was unique in Uraraka's eyes. Because... he knew.

 _"Could it be... that you like him?"_

Somehow _he_ had put it together before she herself had realized it. And apparently her crush and the only person who could expose the truth with any degree of accuracy were on well-enough terms with one another to have one-on-one excursions together.

This must be dealt with.

Fortunately, as she ventured into the dorm's common area, she was able to locate Aoyama by himself. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Eh?" he intoned, turning to face the source of the noise. "Ah! Uraraka, always a pleasure."

He was almost as skeevy as Mineta, just without anything to indicate he'd act on it. "Aoyama, hi. So... I saw your new photo."

"Ah, _oui_ , _oui_! The cafe was actually somewhat disappointing, I'm afraid. Shame. I had such high hopes..."

"Sorry to hear that," she replied, somewhat curtly, "But I couldn't help but notice-"

"Midoriya?"

A quick gulp lead into, "Y-yeah. Him."

"You were unaware that he and I had begun to bond, am I right?"

"Kinda caught me off-guard," she acknowledged, "So I was just wondering..."

Aoyama cut her off, " _Monsieur_ Midoriya does not know."

"Oh, thank God."

Aoyama chuckled. "I've no intention of telling him. Though, if I may?"

"Hmm?"

"You really should tell him yourself, _Mademoiselle_."

A blush overtook the brunette. "I can't! We need to focus on becoming heroes, distracting him from that would be selfish of me."

"To each their own," Aoyama accepted, walking off, "A shame, though. He definitely likes you."

"What?!"

Uraraka's exclamation soon fell on deaf ears, as the blonde had left earshot. As Aoyama returned to his room to resume preparing for the day, he was interrupted by the sound of a notification on his phone.

As the screen flared to life, he read it under his breath.

 _Ochako Uraraka liked your post!_

"Ah, _amour_."


	3. Dungeons and Dragons

"And with that, we move to the last round of the tournament. I trust the lot of you are prepared?"

"Please, hold, and let us review our strategy one last time."

"Very well, Brother of the 10 Winds."

With the approval of their GM, Class 1-A's primary Dungeons and Dragons party could ascertain whether or not they were sufficiently prepared for the final challenge of the evening.

Kaminari had noted at one point that Tokoyami seemed just the type to be an avid player of the game, which the bird-headed boy ultimately admitted. With that, a GM had been found, and Kaminari began to gather allies to join him in the game.

Midoriya was an easy enough get, as he was happy to live out his dreams of being a hero in any capacity he could. Iida followed suit thereafter, with the promise of improving his social skills, and a chance to perform outside his comfort zone a bit more.

How he convinced Jirou, of all people, was anyone's guess, though the more romantically-minded members of the class had a certain pet theory that may have been more accurate than the music lover would care to admit.

Uraraka had been their most recent addition, having only officially joined that evening, though Tokoyami had been given enough notice to craft a done-in-one event around her character to better introduce her to the group.

"Sir Greenfield will approach the final round honorably and will face off with this ruffian in noble combat," Iida said, continuing his earlier desire to review.

"But secretly, Pikachu will use his magic and I'll use my songs to increase his skills," Jirou replied.

The speedster nodded. "Not that I, as a pure-hearted Monk, nor Sir Greenfield, as a chivalrous Paladin, are aware of that."

"And we'll win the tournament, and the beautiful princess's hand in marriage," Kaminari joked.

"Sir Greenfield will do that," Jirou reminded him, "Zapnanimous the Stormbringer was too much of a chicken to stick his neck out, and will get nothing."

"This whole concept seems ridiculous," Midoriya complained, "she's a full-fledged Ranger-"

"Not that we know that," Iida interrupted.

"Right, but she shouldn't be married off like this."

Uraraka smiled, "It's fine. Whoever wins, I'm gonna sneak away and join your party anyway."

"You'll try," Tokoyami noted, "but more on that later. Sir Greenfield must begin his battle with Duke Ebonnhart."

"We gotta stop letting you name the villains," Kaminari muttered.

As went the many dueling rounds prior to this, Sir Greenfield was able to dispatch his foe quite handily, and was quickly crowned champion of the tournament.

Tokoyami began to narrate, "The King steps forward and declares, 'Congratulations, Sir Greenfield! As the most skilled with the blade in all the land, you have won the hand of my daughter, Princess Atmosa. Please, step forward and claim your prize.'"

Midoriya developed an awkward look on his face and briefly paused. "I... I say, 'Your Highness, I'm afraid I cannot accept this.'"

Tokoyami seemed taken aback, as did the other players, but he remained in-character. "Do you find my daughter unappealing?"

"Not at all, your grace," Midoriya explained, "but Princess Atmosa is a lovely, intelligent woman. I dare not claim her as my own, as she is her own person, not a prize to be won. So... as the one who has won her hand, I deliver it back unto her. So that she may give her hand to she whom she sees fit."

"Dude, what's with you?" Kaminari asked. "I mean, it's the nice thing to do, but you don't have to do it publicly."

"I think that he should. It's what his character would do," Iida claimed, supporting his friend's decision.

Jirou smirked. "Guess chivalry's not dead after all."

Uraraka couldn't help but smile. Midoriya couldn't stop being who he was, even in the context of a silly game. And she truly appreciated that. And as she thought about it, she realized how her own character would behave in such a situation.

"If I may interject, brave Sir Greenfield," Uraraka chimed in, catching the attention of the other players.

Tokoyami, having already learned the most important rule of GMing to be 'go with the flow', reprised his role as the king and said, "My daughter, what is the meaning of this?"

Uraraka, unsure of the origin of her sudden boldness, but hardly protesting it, continued on with her announcement, "Sir Greenfield has chosen to give me my hand back, so I may deliver it to whomever I choose. My question then, is 'what if I choose you anyway'?"

Midoriya's face suddenly became overtaken by a grandiose blush, "I-I-I?! But... but... fair Princess-"

"From my perspective, you have the combat skills to protect me, the wisdom to view me for who I am, the courage to voice your opinion regardless of what others may say, and the kindness to set me free should I not wish to go with you. I find you quite worthy of my hand, and I feel safe in assuming that if I ever changed my mind, you would be willing to allow me to go," the brunette rationalized.

Midoriya, left speechless at the argument, was in no condition to debate with her on this matter, leaving it to his party.

"Sound reasoning," Iida affirmed, "she'll make quite the addition to the group."

"This calls for a celebration!" Kaminari agreed, "And maybe a new song?"

Jirou sighed wistfully, "I guess I could write something."

"If that's all settled, I suggest we break for the evening," Tokoyami decreed. "Same time next week?"

"Cool with me," Kaminari said, speaking for the group. "I'll see if I can't get Kirishima in on this, too, seems up his alley."

"Yeah, maybe Yaomomo could get in on it, too," Jirou guessed.

"You just want her to make better miniatures for us," the electric boy joked.

"And you don't?"

As the two headed back to their dorms, Iida aided Tokoyami in packing up the materials to take them back to his room, leaving the remaining players alone.

"That was fun," Uraraka said, "I mean, I didn't get to do much gameplay, but I can see why you guys are into this."

Midoriya was still stunned.

"Deku?" Uraraka asked. "You still there?"

"Uh, yeah," he replied, snapping back to reality. "I just... you caught me off-guard back there."

"What can I say? Sir Greenfield's my kind of guy," Uraraka confessed.

"O-oh," Midoriya gulped. "W-w-well, I look forward to getting to know Princess Atmosa."

"No problem," Uraraka replied. And as she began to walk back to her room for the evening, she turned back briefly to add one last thing. "My prince!"

Critical success. Midoriya knocked prone once more.


	4. Domestic

As Ochako scrolled through theory after theory on her phone, she couldn't help but feel terrible. A growing pit of guilt was beginning to fill her stomach, and it just wasn't going to go away until she could discuss things properly with him.

The sound of a door swinging open didn't actually do much to alleviate her troubles.

"Sorry I'm late, got caught up by some reporters and-" Izuku stopped. He took notice of the look across his wife's face, and slowly closed the door behind him. "What's wrong?"

"It's..." Ochako paused. She knew saying it was nothing wouldn't work. Saying it wasn't important or that she was simply being stupid certainly wouldn't convince him of either notion. Quite unfortunately for her, her only recourse was the truth. "Well, you know that rankings are coming up soon."

"Yeah," Izuku replied nervously. "Are you worried you're going to drop? Because you've been doing great lately, and we're not exactly hurting for money-"

"It's not me. I don't really care _that_ much." Ochako had been sitting comfortably around the high teens to mid-twenties the last few times the Hero Chart had come out, and that was perfectly fine. Rescue heroes were well-loved, but didn't capture the public eye to the same degree as heroes who fought villains directly.

"Is... is it me?"

"God no, are you crazy?!" Ochako replied with a laugh. "You're the Second Symbol of Peace. You're going to be Number One with a bullet, no question."

"Then who-?"

"Yaomomo."

Izuku's face grew puzzled. "I haven't heard much about any public distrust in Creati lately. Last I checked her fans seem as happy as ever for her. Especially with-"

"The baby," the brunette finished. The Everything Hero and the Half-and-Half Hero had recently gone public with the fact that they were pregnant with their first child. A fact that Izuku had been well aware of after Todoroki had called him about how he feared he wouldn't be able to serve as a proper father. Izuku simply pointed out he had a great set of guidelines as to what _not_ to do.

"I mean... I guess that's not unusual," Izuku reasoned. "Heroines who become pregnant have to take a good deal of time off or be relegated to desk work for maternity leave. Yaomomo likely even more so since her quirk requires her to use up her extra amino acids, which she wouldn't want to do for risk of harming the child. And since she wouldn't be on active duty for the next few months her ranking would likely drop, but given the support in the hopes for a healthy child-"

"Deku."

"Ah! Rambling, sorry!"

"She probably won't drop much," Ochako agreed. "Current theory is she'll drop from 5 to 7. Meanwhile Shoto'll get bumped up from 3 to 2."

"Kacchan'll love that," Izuku noted. The two had been jockeying for second for years now, though Bakugou to a more fervent degree. "So, what's the issue?"

"I just..." Ochako groaned. "It's frustrating. He gets a boost thanks to everyone congratulating him on the kid, and people are saying she should retire for the same reason."

Comprehension dawned on the Number One Hero. "You're upset at the dichotomy."

"Well, yeah!" she exclaimed. "Creati's the highest ranked female hero, and suddenly now that she's gonna be a mom, everyone wants her to stop? Being a mom's just gonna make her more badass! When we were kids, none of the top-ranked heroines were moms, and... I just..."

Izuku put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "This is personal, isn't it?"

Ochako sniffled a bit. "I don't..."

"Don't want... kids?"

"That's not..." the gravity master wrapped her husband in her arms. "I love you. I'd love to raise a family with you, but... I don't wanna stop being a hero."

"No one's making you stop. I don't think Yaomomo's going to stop-"

"But everyone'll say I should!" she complained, tears beginning to form. "Headlines saying I'm a terrible mom for not putting my kids first. The kids wondering why I'm not home. And even if I do retire, I'll still feel like I'm letting the world down, 'cause if there's some situation where I could've saved someone, then..."

"It's okay, it's okay..." her husband reassured, stroking her hair in comfort. "If you don't want to give up being a hero, you don't have to. And if that means you don't want kids..."

"But I do!" she explained. "I wanna see the kinda person we'd make. I wanna teach 'em right from wrong, help 'em figure out their powers if they have any. I wanna be a mom and I wanna be a hero. I..." Her tears began to overflow. "I wanna do both. But I don't think I can."

"Hey, hey," Izuku whispered, slightly breaking away, guiding his wife to the couch, where the two could sit face-to-face. "Who do you think you are?"

The tears slightly trailed off. "Huh?"

"You're Uravity," Izuku reminded her. "You've saved more people than I can count. There are little kids all across the country, the world, who wanna be just like you. You're the woman who helped put down some of the nastiest villains the League has ever thrown our way. You're the woman who took a huge beating in her first-year sports festival, and came back swinging next year to take silver. You're the woman who first showed me that I was capable of saving someone. You're the woman who helped me have faith in myself. If the entire world says you can't be a hero _and_ a mom, then there's no doubt in my mind that you'll prove them wrong."

"Deku..."

"You used to think you couldn't be a hero and be in love, too, and, well..."

She smiled, and wrapped her husband in a far warmer hug than the last. "You always know what to say."

"I support 'Maternal Hero: Uravity', if that's what you want to be. Anyone who says you can't gets a Detroit Smash to the face," the green-haired man continued.

"Try not to do that," she joked. "If you start punching reporters, _your_ rank might drop, and I don't know if we can afford a kid if both of us start losing money."

"You're the boss."

"And don't you forget it." She punctuated the remark with a kiss. Said kiss began to trail away from the lips and across the cheek. "You know-" *smooch* "I didn't ask-" *smooch* "do you-" *smooch* "want kids?"

Growing increasingly flustered as the array of kisses began to trail down his neck, Izuku asked, "If I say 'yes' does that mean we start-" *gulp* "now?"

"If you really mean it, then yes."

"I want kids a lot. I want, like, two or three," he admitted.

Ochako smirked. "Then we definitely need to get started."


	5. Strength or Weakness

As light began to return to her eyes, Uraraka slowly but surely became aware of her current condition. Her hands had been placed in some sort of containment device that linked her arms together. Immobilizing her as well as eliminating the possibility of her using her quirk. The high-tech cuffs had left her chained to a nearby post, meaning she had been captured. A quick glance to her surroundings suggested she was in an abandoned building. Through a broken window, she was able to confirm said building to be in the dilapidated area of the city. She was still in costume, so that was something, but she was in no position to trigger her signal device.

"Look who's awake."

With the deep voice, Uravity quickly returned to all-business mode, recognizing who had abducted her while she was on patrol.

"Sub-Conscious," she spat. "Thought you'd learned your lesson last time."

The villain, dressed in business attire, but with satellite receiver dishes attached to each shoulder, and with wires connecting them to a helmet, merely chuckled. "Feh heh heh, your little boyfriend and the ghost man may have slowed progress on the operation, but I assure you, this time my plans will go off without a hitch."

"And what makes you think that?"

"That greenhorn will most certainly not dare get near me so long as I have you," he proclaimed, "his concern for you only weakens him. Makes him vulnerable. Exactly what I need to leverage my operations without the League's interference."

"I'd figure with a brain like yours and that Knock-Out Beam ability, you'd be a shoe-in for membership if you asked nice enough," the brunette heroine joked.

"Please," Sub-Conscious scoffed, "I could care less for those fools' perspectives on Hero Society. _I_ am a businessman."

"With no love for actual business law," Uravity finished.

"I fear you don't comprehend the position you're in, young lady," the man threatened.

"Your quirk's been documented. You can knock me out for 30 minutes at a stretch, but the cooldown period means your max time decreases if you haven't had a home-cooked meal to speed things along. Half an hour's not enough time for that," she replied. "And if you aren't handing me to the League, what are you doing?"

A buzzing noise came from the Zero-Gravity Heroine's belt, signaling her phone going off. "I'll take that," the villain said, snatching the device.

Uravity rolled her eyes at what was about to occur, and began idly tapping her feet.

Deku's voice came through the speaker, _"Uravity, you haven't reported back. Everything okay?"_

"I'm afraid your girlfriend's a bit tied up at the moment," Sub-Conscious joked.

Uravity audibly groaned in the midst of her toe-tapping. "Really?" she asked.

 _"...what do you want, Sub-Conscious?"_

"Ah, you recognize your newest and greatest adversary already! Very good," the madman boasted, "Now then, the safe return of your sweetheart is assured so long as you steer clear of me. Perhaps take the week off to recover from such a difficult ordeal you've both been through."

Uravity decided to chime in, "He's right, talking to him has been just _agonizing_."

"Sarcasm doesn't fit you, dear," Sub-Conscious snarked, "now..."

 _*beep*_

The villain was taken aback. "Did... did he hang up on me?"

"I would, in his position," Uravity noted.

"Trouble in paradise?" the kidnapper cracked.

The captive heroine smiled, "Did you know that an old friend was joining Deku on patrol today?"

"Hmm?"

"Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack," Uravity clarified. "Who was probably listening in on the call."

Sub-Conscious pondered this. "So?"

"I can see a street sign through that window."

The villain's eyes went wide as he turned to confirm that, yes, the intersection they were located on was plainly visible.

"And the toe-tapping?" she reminded him, punctuating it with a few more taps. "Morse code."

The next noise either of them heard were the sound of crumbling bricks.

"You know the problem with businessmen villains?"

The voice of the up-and-coming hero served to scare Sub-Conscious out of his wits.

"It's so hard to pin anything on them. But kidnapping a hero? Well..." From the cloud of dust and debris caused by the broken-down wall, emerged a man in green, smiling without a care in the world. "Makes my job easier."

"Umm-"

A swift kick to the jaw dropped the foe to the floor, quickly ending the less-than-brilliant businessman's schemes in a matter of moments.

With that annoyance out of the way, Deku turned to address his girlfriend, "Sorry I'm late, I wasn't sure which corner of the intersection you meant."

"I'm sure I tapped that out..." she muttered, "but you came running before I was done, didn't you?"

A light application of the man's immense strength quickly destroyed the cuffs. "Guess I'm not as clever as you in a crisis," he lamented.

Uravity rubbed at her wrists. "Hey, I'm the one who wasn't paying attention and got captured. You're the big damn hero."

"I wouldn't have know where to go without you keeping a level head, though."

"I had a level head 'cause I knew you'd save me," she reassured. "You always do."

"Can't help it," he admitted sheepishly. "I think about you in trouble, and my whole body just says 'go'."

"Get this," Uravity recounted, "he said your concern for me makes you weak."

Deku barely suppressed a laugh. "Of course not. You make me want to be even better."

"I know!" she replied, scoffing at the fool of a villain. "Moron."


	6. Longing

She couldn't tell you when it first started. It wasn't until Aoyama pointed it out during their midterms that she realized that she had fallen for him, but it was clear to her that her feelings had begun quite some time prior.

She could, however, tell you exactly when she realized the feelings were deeper than a regular crush. Right around when he and the others returned with Bakugou after the Kamino incident and everyone read them the riot act. She couldn't bring herself to do the same. All she could think about was how she had told him not to go, and he went in spite of it. She didn't stop him. That was the moment she knew she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to him. How much having him around mattered to her.

And it wasn't long after she made the decision at their Provisional License Exam to simply set those feelings aside. She needed to be a pro hero for her family's sake, and she certainly couldn't ask him to put his dreams on the backburner for her, either. And it worked! They both passed the exam, and time and again after, the decision worked out great for both of them.

And now, in their 3rd year, she could say she had no regrets.

Well, she could _say_ that.

Sitting next to him, right now, alone in the common area of the dorms, still felt as agonizing as it did during those first few days of realization. She could just compartmentalize. Ignoring it and hoping it would go away was a poor choice, all things considered. Every triumph the two had achieved only made her like him more.

But, she was a permanent fixture of his life. He asked her, before anyone else, on this study... session. Not date! Session. That was enough. She had his trust, his respect, his companionship. All the things people expect in a partner, but without any of the downsides.

 _*ring*_

Well, one.

"Who's that?" Uraraka asked.

Midoriya gave his phone a once-over. "Hatsume's texting to say she finished my new gear."

"And... you're gonna head over there after this?"

Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. "That was the plan..." he answered, confusion clear in his tone.

"Cool, cool."

It wasn't cool. It was the furthest thing from it. Midoriya had never dated anyone or anything, and though some girls had flirted with him, he'd never realized it. But Hatsume was so blatant, that even Midoriya knew what she was getting at. Problem was, she was the best student in the Support Course, and navigating her somewhat amorous advances was just something he'd learned to put up with.

And Uraraka... tolerated it. Hatsume had helped her with support gear in the past, too. It was fine. Midoriya was allowed to have female friends. Uraraka didn't own him or anything. And she was content knowing he turned to her first. That was all that mattered. She could indulge her feelings this way, and Midoriya wouldn't have to know or worry. And he'd not have to reciprocate. And she could live on like this. Onwards. Unchanging. Stuck in this pseudo-relationship purgatory of longing and nothing else.

Actually...

On second thought...

Fuck longing.

"Hey, Deku."

"Hmm?"

"I've had a massive crush on you for like, 2 years now."

Midoriya's eyes widened to an impossibly large degree. He opened his mouth, but no words escaped, as his mouth was seemingly devoid of moisture.

Uraraka, having apparently chosen to throw caution to the wind, continued, "And it doesn't even matter if you don't feel the same way or anything, but... we're graduating sooner rather than later, and I couldn't take you not knowing. So, even if you don't like me like that, the definite 'no' is healthier than no answer at all-"

"I've had a crush on you since we first met."

Now it was Uraraka's turn to be silent.

The two remained that way for a good minute or so.

 _*ring*_

Another text. Uraraka would not stand for this. "If you tell her to wait another hour, we can go to my room and make out."

Midoriya grew increasingly flustered at this. "Y-your room?!"

"Well, your room's got All Might everywhere! It'd freak me out..."

"So... wait... I wanna see if I've got this," the green-haired boy began, "I've got a crush on you."

"Apparently," the brunette replied.

"You've got a crush on me."

"Huge one."

"And if I push back the meeting with Hatsume, we can spend that extra time making out?" he clarified.

"If you're up for that."

Midoriya quickly gathered up his studying materials, and began to move toward the dorm rooms.

Uraraka turned her head to follow his movements. "What are you-?"

"I can walk and text back at the same time!"

Suddenly realizing the boy's train of logic, Uraraka began to gather her studying materials as well.

"Should've done this years ago..." she muttered.


	7. Tranquillity

Adrenaline in veins. Blood in his ears. Sweat pouring from his brow, dripping down to sting his eyes. Teeth grit in desperation, smiling all the while. Such was the traditional image of the Number One Hero in hot pursuit.

"Compress!"

After having finally put the League's major warp users behind bars, escape was far trickier for Shigaraki's band of crooks. However, the former entertainer had oft proven too slippery for even the best the Pro Heroes could offer. But this was personal for Deku. To him, Mr. Compress was the image of his failure to save Bakugou all those years ago, and everything that happened as a result. Shigaraki was his antithesis, undoubtedly, but Compress was the one who kept getting away.

Having caught sight of the mad magician breaking through a windowpane, Deku quickly followed in, attempting to end this cat-and-mouse game once and for all.

The room he now found himself in was empty, save for the mildew stains on the wall. Near as Deku knew, this building had been condemned for several years now. Hardly a hideout, more likely a place to try and lose green-clad hero.

Triggering a device on his belt, Deku's eyes swept across the room. He knew this trick by now, Compress using his powers to shrink himself into a marble, and wait for the enemy to give up or just be far enough away to escape. "I know you're still in here," he declared. "I thought you wanted to put on a show!"

No response. He had never gotten a straight answer from Bakugou or Tokoyami as to whether or not someone could see and hear while in one of the marbles. Compress would have to make a move soon, regardless. Deku had already signaled for back-up, so time was of the essence.

With no other recourse, the green-clad hero pulled up his hood. He had since grown out of the habit of hiding his face, but now that he had the money for it, a digital display system in his costume was now a worthwhile investment. The mask now firmly over his face, a series of displays could indicate trace energy trails, though no thermal imagery, suggesting that the isolated space of the marbles rendered them immune to such things. Following one of the energy trails, he eventually stumbled upon his prize.

A marble, lying just through a crack in the floorboards.

"Gotcha," he said with a smirk, marble now in hand.

"Are you sure?"

Before he could turn around, the marble in Deku's hand flashed to life, revealing a strange device, which exploded into a blinding light. Though his mask's immediate response system blunted the effects to prevent serious damage to the optic nerves, the momentary flash had been enough to stun him. Once he finally did turn, Mr. Compress had seemingly disappeared.

He'd chosen the wrong energy trail.

Cursing beneath his breath, he heard the sound of a few other heroes arriving on scene.

Taping Hero, Cellophane, was the first to speak, "Deku, you okay, buddy?"

"Flashbang," he muttered, "I'm not sure if he's still here."

Mudman, one Juzo Honenuki, acknowledged this. "We have a few sensory types on hand. If he's here, we'll find him."

"I can still-"

"Your shift's over for the day," Tentakole reminded him, "Furthermore, you've worked triple-overtime 3 days in a row."

"We busted five of the League's new recruits, and uncovered 8 possible hideouts," Deku argued back, "I'm seeing this through."

"I understand how you feel. Compress is a sore spot for me as well," the ever-masked hero shot back. "But you have other, equally important matters to attend to. If we find him, we'll call."

Deku took a breath to cool off and accepted reality. "Right. You're right."

"Come on, man," Cellophane cut in. "You may be Number One, but part of the reason we're here is so you don't have to do everything yourself."

"And I can't thank you enough," he replied.

"You can thank us by taking the rest of the night off. We'll get him. Him and everyone else," Mudman reassured.

Deku, flashing another of his signature smiles, took the assertion in stride. "They won't know what hit them."

* * *

This late at night, Izuku knew he had to be cautious, as he did everything in his power to close the door behind him without making a sound. Navigating without flipping a lightswitch, he made his way to his bedroom, hoping to avoid waking his wife.

Electing to only remove the most cumbersome pieces of his costume, Izuku attempted to sneak into the bed without lifting her out of some restful slumber.

"Didya get 'im?" she muttered, half-conscious.

Realizing his hollow effort as he barely made it under the covers, Izuku whispered back. "No, but they'll keep me posted. I'll explain more tomorrow."

"Mmkay. Love ya."

He yawned. "You too."

Compress may fancy himself a magician, but as far as Izuku Midoriya was concerned, his wife had a spell no one could ever match.

Somehow, someway, as soon as he lay beside this woman, his arm around her, feeling the warmth of her body, and just making out the sounds of her breathing, everything shifted. The adrenaline disappeared. His heart rate slowed to match hers. The heat of battle replaced with the heat of a comforting embrace. And the smiles he wore to please the crowds, suddenly didn't feel so forced.

This. This was what he fought for. Moments like this one. And all the moments to come.


End file.
